When the young inventor, Kelvin Doe, was just
13, he discovered broken electronic parts and materials from the
trash to create batteries and generators.

In a video produced for THINKR, as part of a
series on young prodigies, Doe explains that in Sierra Leone there
is “not too much electricity.” According to
Doe, the lights come on only once a week. So Doe decided to create
his own batteries to power lights in people’s homes.

Doe examines a found part and practices reverse
engineering, discovering the technological principles of it and
then tries to incorporate it into a beneficial invention.

How he built his homemade battery

After examining a traditional battery, Doe used
a resistor, a wire, copper, and metal wrapped in tape to fashion
his own. A wire runs between copper that supplies the positive
terminal and metal that supplies the negative terminal. By adding
acid, the electrons flow from the positive to negative supplying
3.7 volts. Doe uses his batteries to light his community and people
often give him more money to buy more acid to create more
batteries.

That’s not all

In addition to batteries and generators, the
young engineer developed his own FM radio transmitter and runs his
own radio station in Sierra Leone to give youths a voice. His goal
is to inspire the community. On his radio show, he is called
“DJ Focus” because he believes that
“if you focus, you can do an invention
perfectly.” He receives phone calls and text messages
from community members and airs them on the show.

Young engineer gets discovered

Doe was discovered by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) during a high-school innovation
challenge held in Sierra Leone called “Innovate
Salone,” put together Global Minimum, an international
organization set out to empower locals who create and implement
their own solutions to local issues.

MIT invited him to be a guest resident (the
youngest ever) as part of the university’s
“Visiting Practitioners Program.” He spent
three weeks engaging with other makers, presenting his inventions,
and creating new ways to make his ideas into solutions for his
community. During his trip to the U.S., he visited New York City,
where he was asked to speak on the “Meet the Young
Makers” panel at the 2012 Maker Faire and discussed his
local FM radio station, homemade batteries, and generator.

In the MIT labs, he was able to participate in
hands-on research as well as make improvements to his self-made RF
transmitters.

Doe is now back in Sierra Leone, but will
continue with his inventions. His next community problem-solving
creation will be a windmill to supplu electricity for people in his
community.